Welcome to this year’s hodgepodge holiday-themed gift giving December posts. I do know that I have some cookie recipes and maybe some other kitchen gifts to post. Who knows what will show up? Today, however, I’m starting with jam. (Big surprise, right?)
This growing season I made too much jam. Last year I made too much jam. The year before that I made too much jam. Guess what? The year before that I also made too much jam. I am kind of a jam-a-holic.
I usually ship some boxes to “out-of-staters” for Christmas.
Last year, we immediately got a phone call from my sister-in-law. Because we have a “no gift” policy on that side of the family, we thought we were going to be chastised for sending a Christmas gift to them. Instead, she and the nieces and nephews were giving us rave reviews on the jellies and jams we had sent and told us how they had run out of bread and had started eating the preserves on crackers and any other bread-like substances they could find in the house.
They wanted more.
It was at this point that The Hubs and I both came to the same conclusion. Next year, we would enroll them in our own “Jam of the Month Family Plan.”
This year, I have been putting away jam, preserves, chutneys and jellies for this family plan.
Again, I have made too much jam. Everyone at school (and then some) is getting a jar for Christmas. Here is a round-up of jams, jellies, and preserves from the archives of EE.
Apples:
Blackberries:
Blackberry-Lemon Jam with Cinnamon Basil
Blueberries:
Balsamic-Cinnamon Blueberry Jam
Cherries:
Grapes:
Lemons:
Peppers:
Stone Fruits:
Red Nectarine and Candied Ginger Jam
Pears:
Strawberries:
Miscellaneous:
Raspberry Jam with Ginger and Chile and Fresh Mint
The Hubs’ sister and her family are getting a personalized “Jam of the Month” club membership directly from our kitchen. I am going to include a recipe along with each jar like my “Baking with Jam” collection, Blackberry Salad Dressing, or Coconut Macaroon Tartlets with Jam Filling.
We returned from our Thanksgiving trip to Houston last week with about 75 lbs. of Meyer Lemons from my MiL’s backyard tree. I imagine there will be some more lemon recipes in the archives soon. I found some great ideas at Food in Jars.
For other Christmas themed posts, you might be interested in these posts:
- For cookies, elixirs, fudge, and DIY root beer-reindeer sextets and farolitos, click here.
- For a cheese ball, suet feeders, sock monkeys for adults, and other gift items, click here.
- For a baker’s dozen (and then some) of Gifts from the Kitchen, click here.
- For Twelve Days of Christmas Treats, click here.